Thanks to the city of Dillingham, the Army National Guard and the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp., Dillingham's animal shelter is getting a new home.
The shelter is located on the fringes of the city, in a blue building next door to Teddy's Convenience Store on Lake Road. The city has been leasing this location since March 2011.
"The existing building was never meant to be a permanent home for the shelter," said city manager Rosa Loera. "It was always supposed to be a temporary location."
The new shelter will be more centrally located, next to the Army National Guard in town, near the boat harbor.
"We basically split the building in half and are renovating the half that the Guard wasn't using," said Loera.
The lease for the building was due to be up at the end of June. The city had originally planned for the shelter to be moved in by then, but unexpected delays postponed the work. Renovations on the new site began in July, with work being done by a group of carpenters and maintenance workers who work for the Army National Guard. The new goal is to open the doors Sept. 1.
"I'm looking forward to operating out of this new building," said Dan Boyd, animal control officer. "It will be close to the downtown area, making it more accessible and more visible to the general public. This will help to get more animals adopted and help reunite lost pets with their owners."
Funding for this upgrade came from a combination of sources, including the city budget funds in lieu of the old lease and a grant from the Bristol Bay Economic Development Corp. (BBEDC).
"We have a program called the community block grant," said Chris Napoli, chief administrative officer for BBEDC. "These are funds that our board sets aside every year for community projects within the Bristol Bay area. If the applicant meets the criteria, we can usually fund them."
Just one full-time animal control officer, Dan Boyd, staffs the shelter.
The animal shelter not only adopts pets and rescues animals, it also reunites lost pets with their owners. The shelter has a good success rate with nearly half of all animals brought in to the shelter finding homes. In 2012, 152 animals came through the shelter's doors; 80 were adopted.
In addition to local outreach, Boyd also networks with Anchorage organizations to get more animals adopted.
"Every year, I send some puppies and momma dogs to the Friends of Pets and to Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue in Anchorage," said Boyd. "Unfortunately, we don't operate a no-kill shelter here, but I do everything I can to get as many of these animals into caring homes."
One particular success story through his work with Friends of Pets stands out for Dan.
"Pumpkin was a very sweet dog that came in to the shelter. She had been neglected was having litter after litter of puppies every five months, and was hanging out with a gang of dogs in front of one of the stores," said Boyd. "I brought her in to the shelter and when no one adopted her for a time, I called Friends of Pets and asked if they would take her. They said yes and I flew her to the city."
Pumpkin's journey from Dillingham to Anchorage brought her into the home of a woman named Ruth who chose to foster her. On Pumpkin's first day with Ruth, Ruth brought her to work so she wouldn't be left alone in new surroundings. At one point, Pumpkin followed Ruth down the hall, her leash trailing behind her, and Linda, a woman working just a few doors down, passed Pumpkin and Ruth.
"I've been terrified of dogs my entire life," said Linda Ritchey, "but I didn't feel any fear or hesitation when I saw this dog walking in the hall. In fact, I bent down to pet her and when this beautiful dog looked up in to my eyes, something happened in my heart."
Linda pet Pumpkin for a few minutes and went back to work, thinking that this feeling in her heart would go away. It didn't. Linda and Ruth decided to bring Pumpkin to Linda's house for a series of visits to see how the two would get along. At the end of the first visit, Pumpkin didn't leave and the two have been together for a year and a half.
"I'm 54 years old and Pumpkin is the first dog I've ever had. She's changed my life."
Active in promoting responsible pet ownership and humane solutions within the community, Boyd sets up a table at community events, including the annual Paws for Peace walk in the spring that the local women's shelter (SAFE) coordinates, as well as during the Beaver Roundup Festival in March.
Here, he brings dogs and cats that are available for adoption. He accepts donations of money, blankets, food and toys. He talks to community members, reminding them of such things as keeping their animals warm in the winter, away from the noise of fireworks and ensuing litter in the summer and keeping Christmas tree decorations out of pets' reach during the holidays. And he offers free dog registration and free rabies shots.
Boyd also runs community press releases on local radio station KDLG and regularly posts animals photos and information on Dillingham's community board and trading-post Facebook pages.
"I have a lot of luck with the Facebook pages," said Boyd. "There are 1,200 members online which is over half of the families in Dillingham. I often get calls from people on vacations that see their dog or cat's photo posted on the page and so I'm able to reunite them. I also have a really high success rate of adoptions from my posts on animals that are available to be adopted."
Between his face-to-face interactions with community members and his online presence, he is successful in finding homes. One such success story is Christina and Garfield.
"I used to work with Dan at the city," said Christina Smith. "At the Paws for Peace event last year, he had some dogs on a leash and a box of cats. He was working really hard to get all of these animals adopted. My kids wanted one of the kittens and I kept telling them no. Dan asked if I'd be willing to foster a little orange one for a short time, and I agreed. Of course we all fell in love with Garfield and he quickly became a big part of our family."
Not only is she grateful for Garfield, but also she's grateful for Dan's hard work and dedication. While he can't save every animal, his commitment to finding homes for as many as he can is noticed in Dillingham.
"Dan's whole spirit in the community of working to try to get every animal adopted is really inspiring. It made me want to help too," said Christina.
Anita and Terry Fuller eagerly adopted Brutus in to their family after a friend adopted Brutus from the shelter because he had been in the shelter long enough he was going to have to be euthanized.
"Dave Bendinger is a reporter for KDLG; I have a weekly radio program so I know Dave from there. I saw on the DLG Trading Post that Dave and his girlfriend were searching for a home for Brutus," said Terry Fuller. "Brutus used to wander freely through the neighborhood where they live and they thought he was a good dog who deserved a home and not a needle. We inquired and the rest is history."
Walking Brutus around their own neighborhood, they've been surprised to hear from people in town that former owners had abused Brutus.
"You wouldn't know that he was ever mistreated," said Terry. "He's so well adjusted and gentle with our two young daughters. We are delighted to have him as a part of our family. He has such a gentle, loving spirit and he loves to play. As near as I can tell, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He has transitioned well to being an indoor dog and has his own bed in our bedroom. He likes to think he can also be a lap dog, but at what's now approximately 120 pounds we have tried to dissuade him of that notion."
The current annual budget for Dillingham's animal shelter is $136,000, though this will now be reduced due to the move to a city-owned building. These funds pay for the Animal Control officer's salary and the shelter's operating expenses including a vehicle and food and care of the animals.
There is no veterinarian in Dillingham, but a vet from Chester Valley in Anchorage comes out a few times a year for routine checkups on shelter animals and people's pets.
With the help of Edward's Air Cargo, animals can be flown to see a vet in Anchorage or Chugiak for $50 roundtrip.
"Lots of people take advantage of this great opportunity to care for their animals," said Boyd. "There is wonderful community support for our animal shelter and the city has made great strides over the years in enabling us to care for the animals of Dillingham."
Other local support includes individuals who make one-time or regular donations as well as the University of Fairbanks extension, which loans equipment when the visiting vets come out.
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, there are 3,500 animal shelters in the United States, with 6 to 8 million cats and dogs entering shelters each year. Of these dogs and cats, 3 to 4 million are adopted and 2.7 million are euthanized. From 1970 to 2010, the number of dogs and cats in homes has increased from 67 million to an estimated 164 million, but only about 30 percent of pets in homes come from shelters and rescues.
"What makes my job so worthwhile," said Boyd, "is knowing that these dogs and cats aren't just going into a home, but are becoming a part of someone's family."
To volunteer to help with the care of dogs and cats at the new location or to schedule a time to come and see what animals are available for adoption, contact Dan Boyd at 842-1607 or 842-5354 or visit his Facebook feeds on the Dillingham Trading Post Facebook page.
This story first appeared in Bristol Bay Times-Dutch Harbor Fisherman.